Nineteen Years Later in Harmony style
by love-goes-on
Summary: Harry's life is finally in Harmony. The epilogue in Harmony style-an urge for every Harry/Hermione to write their ideal ending once they finished the book. Harry/Hermione Draco/Ginny Ron/surprising character Neville/Luna I do not own Harry Potter


Nineteen Years Later

Autumn seemed to arriver suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple, as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road towards the great, sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the brunet girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm.

'It won't be long, and you'll be going too,' Harry told her, as he brushed her hair fondly.

'Two years,' sniffed Lily. 'I want to go now!'

The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way towards the barrier between platform nine and ten. Albus's voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamour; his sons had obviously resumed the argument they had started since Albus received the letter from Hogwarts.

'I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!'

'James, give it a rest!' ordered Hermione snappily.

'I only said he might be,' said James, grinning at his younger brother with a mischievous wink. 'There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyth—'

But James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Potters approached the barrier. 'Gotta find Fred and Dom now. See you later!' said James with a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother. He then took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.

'You'll write to me, won't you?' Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalizing on the momentary absence of his brother.

'Every day, Al,' answered Hermione. 'If you want us to—'

'Not every day,' said Albus quickly. 'James says most people only get letters from home about once a month.'

'We wrote to James three times a week last year,' pointed out Hermione.

'And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts,' Harry put in. 'He likes a laugh, your brother.'

Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forwards, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced nervously, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged on to platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick, white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.

'Where are they?' asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.

'We'll find them,' said Hermione reassuringly.

But the vapour was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's face. Detached from their own owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud. Harry thought he heard Percy discoursing loudly on broomstick regulations, and was quite glad of the excuse not to stop and say hello…

'I think that's them. Al,' said Hermione suddenly.

A group of four people emerged from the most, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Hermione, Lily and Albus had drawn up to them. Albus quickly ran towards the red-headed girl, who looked delighted to see him.

'Hi,' said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.

Rose's black eyes twinkled, beaming at him.

'Maybe only Rose has the power to calm down our boy's nerve,' chuckled Hermione.

'They definitely remind me of the two of us. Don't you agree, Mrs. Potter?' asked Harry playfully, putting his arm around his wife's neck.

Hermione returned an amused frown, 'Don't let Ron hear you, Mr. Potter. He will surely jinx Al.'

'Parked all right, then?' Ron emerged suddenly, as if had heard Hermione saying his name, making the Potters jumped. 'I did. My darling wife didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confound the examiner.'

'No I didn't!' protested Cho, joining the group with Cedric, her youngest, clinging on her arm. 'I have completely faith in you.'

After having broken up with Hermione peacefully a few months after the War, Ron spent some time to travel the world to clear his mind, where he met an unexpected companion—Cho Chang. Sharing the same passion for Qudditch, the two quickly found comfort in one another and got married a few years after their first date. Their romance shocked everyone, until they proved that they complemented one another extremely well throughout the years.

'As a matter of fact, I did Confound him,' Ron whispered to Harry, as together they lifted Albus's trunk and owl on to the train. 'I only forgot to look in the wing mirror, and let's face it, I can use a Supersensory Charm for that.'

'You haven't changed a bit in these nineteen years, mate,' laughed Harry, patting Ron's back.

Back on the platform, they found Lily and Hugo having an animated discussion about which house they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.

'If you are not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you,' said Ron in a fake stern voice.

'But no pressure.'

'RON!' groaned Hermione and Cho in unison.

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.

'He doesn't mean it,' said Hermione and Cho quickly, but Ron was no longer paying attention. Catching Harry's eye, he waved to a point some fifty yards away. The steam had thinned for a moment, and six people stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

'Here comes the Malfoy boy,' muttered Ron.

'Who happens to be your brother-in-law,' reminded Harry, as he gave Ginny and Scorpius, her eldest who was starting Hogwarts this year a hug.

Having taken the initiative to end all romantic ties with Harry after the War, Ginny put all her heart and soul in her career of being a Chaser in Holyhead Harpies, where she met Draco Malfoy, who found his way to be a Seeker. To Ginny's great surprise, Draco had turned over a new leaf after the War, becoming much nicer and humble. Their relationship was a rocky one, being opposed by both sides of their family, but they made their way through to marriage and having four kids.

Draco, who was in a dark coat buttoned up to his throat, stood next to his children—Cassiopeia and Carina, the twins, and Orion, his youngest, nodding politely to Ron and Harry with a tight smile.

'So this is your little Scorpius, Ginny?' said Ron fondly, as his iciness towards Draco vanished as soon as Scorpius reached his arms. He then turned to Rose, joked, 'Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie! Go Team Weasley! Thank god you inherit your mother's brain. She is such a true Ravenclaw.'

'Rom, for heaven's sake,' groaned Ginny, half-stern, half-amused, while Draco rolled his eyes with a grin. 'Don't try to turn them against each other before they have even started school!'

'Your aunt is right,' admitted Ron, but couldn't help adding, 'But don't get too friendly with other Slytherins, my girl. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood.'

'Ron, seriously—'

'Hey!' yelled James, reappearing with Fred and Dominique, interrupting Draco's protest. All of them had divested himself of their trunks, owl and trolley, and was evidently bursting with news.

'Teddy's back there,' he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. 'Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? Snogging Victoire!'

The three of them gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.

'Our Teddy! Teddy Lupin! Snogging our Victoire! Our cousin!' said Fred excitedly. 'And I asked Teddy what was he doing—'

'You interrupted them?' gasped Hermione in disbelief. 'You are so like Ron!'

'And George,' added Cho.

'And Fred,' said Ginny with a slight smile, thinking of his late brother.

'Well of course I sound like myself—'

'—and he said he'd come to see sis off! That is so sweet!' interrupted Dominique dreamily.

'And then he told me to go away. He's snogging her!' James added, as though worried he had not made himself clear.

'Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!' whispered Lily excitedly, nudging her parents. 'Teddy would really be a part of this family then!'

Harry and Hermione exchanged a smile. They were so grateful and happy for the fact that the Weasleys still treated them as a part of their core family, despite their respective breakup with Ginny and Ron. They remained extremely close relations with Molly and Arthur, whom proudly asked the Potter children to refer them as their grandparents.

'He already comes around for dinner about four times a week,' said Harry. 'Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?'

'Yeah!' said James enthusiastically. 'Teddy could have my room! I don't mind sharing with Al!' Albus gasped in horror immediately, which made the others burst into laughter.

'No,' rejected Harry firmly. 'You and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished.'

He checked the battered, old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett's.

'It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board.'

'Don't forget to give Neville, Luna, Alice, Frank and the twins our love!' said Hermione, as she hugged the children goodbye.

'Mum! I can't give the Professors love!' stated James.

'But you know Neville and Luna—'

James rolled his eyes.

'Outside, yeah, but at school they are Professor Longbottom number one and Professor Longbottom number two! I can't walk into Herbology or the Forbidden Forest to give them love—'

'Think about it, James. You may see Alice there!' provided Dominique with a smirk.

'Yeah, and you can see Frank there too! Care to join me?' defended James, grimacing when he saw Dominique blushed.

He turned around, aiming a kick at Albus.

'I'll see you around, Al. Watch out for the Thestrals.'

'I thought they were invisible? You said they were invisible!'

But James merely laugh, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father and sister a fleeting hug, then leapt on to the rapidly filing train with Fred and Dominique. They saw them wave, then sprint away up to the corridor together.

'Thestrals are nothing to worry about,' Harry told Albus. 'They are gentle things, there is nothing scary about them. And I am sure Luna, or Professor Longbottom number two will protect you from them.'

'Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats,' added Hermione kindly, hugging his son goodbye, 'See you at Christmas.'

'Bye, Al,' said Harry, as his son hugged him. 'Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up.'

'What if I'm in Slytherin?'

The whisper was for his father alone, and Harry knew that only the moment of departure could have forced Albus to reveal how great and sincere his fear was.

Harry crouched down so that Albus's face was slightly above his own. Alone of Harry's three children, Albus had inherited Lily's eyes.

'Albus Severus,' Harry said quietly, so that nobody but Hermione could hear, and she was tactful enough to pretend to be hugging Rose and Scorpius goodbye. 'You were name for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.'

'But just say—'

'—then Slytherin house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al. But of it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account.'

'Really?' asked Albus hopefully in a small voice.

'It did it for me,' said Harry.

He had never told any of his children that before, and he saw the wonder in Albus's eyes when he said it. But now the doors were slamming all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents were swarming forwards for final kisses, last-minute reminders.

'Ready?' asked Rose cheerfully, standing next to Scorpius.

'Ready,' answered Albus with a firm nod. He then jumped into carriage with Rose and Scorpius and Hermione closed the door behind them.

'The new golden trio,' said Ron proudly, putting his arms around his two best friend's neck.

'I hope that they won't have to suffer from much danger like we did, though,' said Harry with a sigh.

'They will be alright,' reassured Hermione gently.

Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned towards Harry.

'Why are they all staring?' demanded Albus, as he craned around to look at other students with Rose and Scorpius.

'Don't let it worry you,' said Ron. 'It's me. I'm extremely famous.'

'And I am extremely famous and good-looking,' joked Draco, smiling widely this time.

All of them, including Ron, laughed. The train began to move, and the adults walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son guide away from him…

The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air, the train rounded a corner, Harry's hand was still raised in farewell.

'So, anyone wants some ice-cream?' suggested Ginny, which was welcomed by all the children.

'How about some Qudditch following?' said Cho, as the children yelled in excitement.

'Let's have a friendly family match among the Potters, the Weasleys,' said Ron, eyeing his former enemy. 'And the Malfoys?'

Lily ,Hugo and Cedric let out an anticipating shout, as Draco grinned, giving Ginny a knowing look, 'Bring it on, Weasley.'

Cassiopeia, Carina and Orion shouted in delight, as the group turned around, making their way to Diagon Alley for ice-cream.

But Hermione stopped and walked back to Harry, who was still staring at the shadow of the long-gone train. She took his hand in hers.

'He'll be alright,' murmured Hermione.

As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absent-mindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.

He placed his wife a soft, loving kiss on her forehead.

'I know he will.'

The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well.


End file.
